Teaching Pronunciation in Algerian Public Middle Schools and Private Language Schools: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Due to the growing interest in learning English in the Algerian schools, the importance given to pronunciation in EFL classes right from the early stages of instruction and the appearance of the private sector, the present study aims at comparing pronunciation teaching in the Algerian public middle schools and private language schools. More specifically, the study aims at investigating both middle school teachers’ and private school teachers’ attitudes toward teaching the English pronunciation, and the main obstacles that may hinder the teaching/learning process as well as attempting to shed light on the teachers’ practices of pronunciation teaching. The study is based on the hypothesis that if middle school teachers and private school teachers have different work conditions, significant differences will be noticed in both the teachers’ perceptions and practices. To confirm or reject this hypothesis, a middle school teachers’ questionnaire and private language school teachers’ questionnaire were given to English teachers at different middle and private schools in Jijel city and Taher. The analysis of the results generated by the teachers’ questionnaires confirms that the teaching conditions at private language schools are much better than at the middle schools and reveals that there are significant differences in teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding pronunciation teaching in the two institutions. Based on the results of the study, some pedagogical recommendations were suggested for further research.